Watertown Regional Airport

Watertown Regional Airport
(former Watertown Army Airfield)

USGS 2006 orthophoto
IATA: ATY – ICAO: KATY – FAA LID: ATY
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Watertown
Serves Watertown, South Dakota, U.S.
Elevation AMSL 1,749 ft / 533 m
Coordinates 44°54′50″N 097°09′17″W / 44.91389°N 97.15472°WCoordinates: 44°54′50″N 097°09′17″W / 44.91389°N 97.15472°W
Website watertownsdairport.com
Map
ATY

Location of airport in South Dakota

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 6,898 2,102 Asphalt
17/35 6,893 2,100 Concrete
Statistics (2013)
Aircraft operations 15,200
Based aircraft 32

Watertown Regional Airport (IATA: ATY[2], ICAO: KATY, FAA LID: ATY), formerly Watertown Municipal Airport, is a city owned, public use airport located 2 nautical miles (4 km) northwest of Watertown, a city in Codington County, South Dakota, United States.[1] The airport is served by one airline, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2015-2019 categorized it as a non-primary commercial service facility.[3] As per the Federal Aviation Administration, it had 4,348 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2013, a decrease of 30.5% from 6,254 enplanements in 2012.[4]

History

During World War II the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces. Used as a Second Air Force cold weather bomber training base as an auxiliary to Sioux Falls Army Air Field, and by Air Proving Ground Command.

B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator units underwent advanced training before going overseas. One unit that trained there was the 702nd Bomb Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group.[5]

Facilities and aircraft

Watertown Regional Airport covers 919 acres (372 ha) at an elevation of 1,749 feet (533 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 12/30 is 6,898 by 100 feet (2,102 x 30 m) asphalt and 17/35 is 6,893 by 100 feet (2,100 x 30 m) concrete.[1]

In 2013 the airport had 15,200 aircraft operations, an average 42 per day: 72% general aviation, 18% air carrier, and 10% air taxi. At that time 32 aircraft were based at this airport: 69% single-engine, 19% multi-engine, 6% jet, and 6% glider.[1]

The airport passenger terminal was renovated and updated in 2009, providing a refreshed and more efficient atmosphere for passengers. The upgrades included an entire overhaul of the interior design, as well as an expanded TSA inspection area. Currently, there is no jet bridge at the airport, as Great Lakes Airlines turboprop planes do not work with that equipment. Passengers board the aircraft by walking outside on the apron to the aircraft steps.

Mesaba Airlines, operating as Northwest Airlink, and later, Delta Connection, served the Watertown community for over 10 years, with daily flights to Minneapolis/St. Paul using Saab 340 aircraft. When Delta discontinued the use of the Saab 340 in December of 2011, air service to Watertown from Minneapolis was temporarily provided using Delta's Canadair Regional Jet 200, until Great Lakes Airlines took over 4 months later.

The airport also offers free parking.

Airline and destinations

The airport is currently served by Great Lakes Airlines, offering daily non-stop flights to Minneapolis/St. Paul and Pierre, and one-stop service to Denver (via Pierre), using 9-seat Beechcraft 1900D aircraft.[6] It also has codeshare agreements with Delta Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines, which allow travelers to connect to other destinations.

Sun Country Airlines also flies several charter flights throughout the year to Laughlin/Bullhead City International Airport in Arizona, in coordination with several travel agencies located in Watertown.

Airlines Destinations
Great Lakes Airlines Minneapolis/St. Paul, Pierre

Statistics

Carrier shares: (Feb 2015 - Jan 2015)[7]
Carrier   Passengers (arriving and departing)
Great Lakes
3,670(97.66%)
Sun Country
90(2.34%)
Top domestic destinations: (Feb 2014 - Jan 2015)[7]
Rank Airport Passengers Airline
1 Minneapolis–Saint Paul International (MSP) 2,000 Great Lakes
2 Laughlin/Bullhead City International (IFP) 200 Sun Country
Passenger boardings (enplanements) by year, as per the FAA
Year 2005 [8] 2006 [9] 2007 [10] 2008 [11] 2009 [12] 2010 [13] 2011 [14] 2012 [15] 2013 [4]
Enplanements 9,161 6,212 5,158 4,975 5,824 7,814 8,984 6,254 4,348
Change +4.79% -32.19% -16.97% -3.55% +17.07% +34.17% +14.97% -30.39% -30.48%

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 FAA Airport Master Record for ATY (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective March 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ "IATA Airport Code Search (ATY: Watertown)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  3. ↑ "2015-2019 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 7.89 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. September 30, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "2013 Enplanements at All Airports (Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation) by State and Airport" (PDF, 1.05 MB). CY 2013 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. June 23, 2014.
  5. ↑ Michael Simpson, History of the 445th Bomb Group, Revised Edition
  6. ↑ "Timetable" (PDF). Great Lakes Airlines. March 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Watertown, SD: Watertown Regional (ATY)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), U.S. Department of Transportation. December 2014. Retrieved April 2015.
  8. ↑ "2005 Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports with Enplanements (by State)" (PDF, 200 KB). CY 2005 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. Fall 2006.
  9. ↑ "2006 Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports with Enplanements (by State)" (PDF, 250 KB). CY 2006 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. Fall 2007.
  10. ↑ "2007 Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports with Enplanements (by State)" (PDF, 187 KB). CY 2007 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. September 26, 2008.
  11. ↑ "2008 Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports with Enplanements (by State)" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. December 18, 2009.
  12. ↑ "2009 Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports (by State)" (PDF, 891 KB). CY 2009 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. November 23, 2010.
  13. ↑ "2010 Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports (by State)" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2011.
  14. ↑ "2011 Enplanements at Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports (by State)" (PDF). CY 2011 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 9, 2012.
  15. ↑ "2012 Enplanements at All Airports (Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation) by State and Airport" (PDF). CY 2012 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. October 31, 2013.

Other sources

  •  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-2001-10644) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2003-7-4 (July 8, 2003): selects Mesaba Aviation, Inc. d/b/a Northwest Airlink, an affiliate of Northwest Airlines, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) for a two-year period at Watertown, South Dakota, at an annual rate of $1,871,825.
    • Order 2005-9-9 (September 14, 2005): re-selecting Mesaba Aviation, Inc. d/b/a Northwest Airlink, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) for the two-year period beginning August 1, 2005, at Watertown, South Dakota, at an annual rate of $1,211,589.
    • Order 2007-8-19 (August 20, 2007): re-selecting Mesaba Aviation, Inc., d/b/a Northwest Airlink, to continue to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Watertown, South Dakota, for the two-year period beginning August 1, 2007. Service will consist of 14 nonstop round trips per week at an annual subsidy rate of $1,189,606, with flights originating and terminating at Pierre and operated with 34-seat Saab 340 aircraft as Northwest Airlink.
    • Order 2009-7-15 (July 16, 2009): re-selecting Mesaba Aviation, Inc. d/b/a Delta Connection, to continue providing subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Watertown, SD, for the two-year period beginning August 1, 2009, at the annual subsidy rate of $1,338,321.
    • Order 2011-6-6 (June 7, 2011): re-selecting Mesaba Aviation, Inc., operating as Delta Connection, to provide essential air service (EAS) at Watertown, South Dakota. Mesaba will provide two daily nonstop round trips (14 a week) to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (Minneapolis) using 34-seat Saab 340 aircraft for a short-term contract period beginning August 1, 2011, through October 31, 2011, for an annual subsidy of $1,769,019, pro-rated at $450,736 for the contract period.
    • Order 2011-9-5 (September 13, 2011): prohibiting suspension of service and requesting proposals.
    • Order 2011-11-30 (November 23, 2011): selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide essential air service (EAS) at six communities at the following annual subsidy rates: Brainerd, Minnesota, $959,865; Fort Dodge, $1,798,693; Iron Mountain, $1,707,841; Mason City, $1,174,468; Thief River Falls, Minnesota, $1,881,815; and Watertown, $1,710,324, for the two-year period beginning when Great Lakes inaugurates full EAS at all six communities
    • Order 2014-4-17 (April 18, 2014): reselecting Great Lakes to provide EAS at Watertown, South Dakota using 19 (reconfigured to 9) passenger Beech 1900D aircraft with non-stop service to Minneapolis for 2 round trips each weekday and weekend and one-stop service to Denver for one daily round trip, for a total of 19 per week, for the two-year term from June 1, 2014 through May 31, 2016, for an annual subsidy of $2,847,284.

External links